About 'Minuet'

A child prodigy, Mozart wrote his first symphony when he was eight years old and his first opera at 12. He went on to write some of the most important masterpieces of the Classical era, including symphonies, operas, string quartets and piano music.

The minuet was slightly old-fashioned by Mozart's time. It was of aristocratic origin, elegant and stately. Mozart also wrote a great number of minuets intended for listening rather than dancing: they occur in his symphonies, string quartets, and many other works. These minuets are usually longer, faster in tempo.